How fibromyalgia is diagnosed using the 2016 ACR criteria, what the widespread pain index and symptom severity scale measure, why there is no blood test, and what a diagnostic evaluation should include.
A pain science explanation of chronic pain: why it persists after tissue healing, how the nervous system changes, and what distinguishes it from acute pain.
An evidence-based review of pain neuroscience education for chronic pain: what it teaches, how it works, what the trials show about its effects on catastrophizing, function, and pain.
An evidence-based review of pregabalin (Lyrica) for fibromyalgia: mechanism of action, clinical trial results, effect sizes, common side effects, and how it compares to duloxetine.
An evidence-based guide to activity pacing for chronic pain and fibromyalgia: what it is, how it differs from avoidance, and how to implement it practically.
What causes fibromyalgia flare-ups, why they happen from a pain science perspective, and what the evidence supports for managing and recovering from them.
An evidence-based guide to exercise for fibromyalgia: which types have the strongest evidence, how to start without triggering flares, and why the starting dose matters more than the type.
An evidence-based review of duloxetine (Cymbalta) for fibromyalgia: how it works mechanistically, what the clinical trials found, effect sizes, side effects, and what to discuss with your doctor.
A detailed explanation of fibromyalgia symptoms, including widespread pain, fatigue, fibro fog, and sensory sensitivity, and the neuroscience that accounts for each one.
Central sensitization is the biological mechanism behind chronic widespread pain. This article explains what it is, how it works at the spinal and brain level, and what the research shows.